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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25028530">A Quiet Place</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/traptrixnepenthes/pseuds/traptrixnepenthes'>traptrixnepenthes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tales of Symphonia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:01:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25028530</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/traptrixnepenthes/pseuds/traptrixnepenthes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>i don't have a section i can easily separate out for the summary, so you will just have to trust me.</p><p>genis and mithos go stargazing, and talk about the past, promises, and ultimately, the future.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Genis Sage &amp; Mithos Yggdrasill, Genis Sage/Mithos Yggdrasill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi!</p><p>i'm not too proud of this one anymore, since i feel like my understanding of mithos as a character has developed a lot since i wrote it, but i'm leaving it up for archival purposes.</p><p>that said, i do still hope you enjoy it, but i also hope you'll check out my other mithos/genis works as well!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Another night spent at Altessa's, another night where Genis couldn't <em> quite </em> get comfortable enough to sleep. All of Altessa's guest beds--why did he have this many in the first place?--were hard as rocks. Maybe that was what dwarves preferred, since Lloyd was already snoozing away, but most humans and elves and those in between were more delicate than that.</p><p>Of course, other than that, it wasn't like staying with Altessa was a bad thing. For one, it meant more time spent with Mithos, who was sort of like an angel from heaven, if angels weren't horrible and heaven wasn't a place to be avoided. He'd never met anyone he just...clicked so easily with, and he <em> knew </em> he was being kind of obnoxious about it, but he couldn't really help it. Didn't really want to help it, either. Lloyd would always be his best friend, but there was something Mithos had that Lloyd just...didn't.</p><p>Genis rolled over, trying to find some sort of comfortable position, and saw a flash of blond pass in front of the doorway. It wasn't long enough to belong to Colette, which meant...</p><p>He sat up, glanced around to see if anyone else was up--didn't look like it--and tiptoed out of the room to see that same golden hair slip out the front door. Genis followed his friend into the night.</p><p>Mithos was sitting a little ways away from where Altessa's house had been carved into a mountain, in a small grassy patch with wildflowers growing at the edges, staring up at the sky. His knees were tucked up to his chest, and he looked more vulnerable than usual; around everyone else, Mithos always tried to look strong, it seemed to Genis, but having survived a catastrophe like what happened to Ozette on top of his sister dying too meant there was more just under the surface. Genis had only seen under the surface a couple of times himself, and it always shook him just a little bit.</p><p>He walked up to him, his shoes crunching against the dirt path, but Mithos didn't look back at him. "Can't sleep?"</p><p>Mithos startled a bit, as if he hadn't even heard Genis approach, and then glanced up at him. "Oh... Yes. I'm just not feeling tired. I thought everyone had gone to sleep already."</p><p>"Those stupid beds are too hard to get to sleep on." Genis plopped down next to Mithos, only to get hit by the sudden worry that maybe he should've asked first, since it'd really only been a little while since they first met and he needed to do this right--but Mithos didn't react. "Now I get why they call it bedrock."</p><p>Mithos laughed softly, and Genis grinned. It was always good to see a smile on his face. "So, what are you doing out here?"</p><p>"I'm just looking at the stars. My old mentor used to tell me to count the stars if I couldn't sleep." Mithos wrapped his arms around his legs. "We're not as close as we used to be anymore, but I'm still counting stars."</p><p>"If you're interested in the stars, I can teach you some constellations!" Again, Genis felt like maybe he was being too overeager and stumbling over his own feet. Mithos was, what, his third friend ever? He didn't want to screw things up. "My sister taught me a lot about astronomy, and I figure that's more fun than just counting them."</p><p>"I'd be happy to learn them."</p><p>Genis looked up confidently towards the sky, and was about to point out his favorite, one of the legendary hero with his sword--only to not see it where it should've been. This sky was an alien one he didn't recognize--and after he'd bragged so confidently, too.</p><p>Mithos was watching him hesitate, and filled the gap for him. "...You know Sylvarant's stars, right? But these are Tethe'alla's."</p><p>Busted. "Yeah. I forgot where we were for a second."</p><p>"Well...if we go to Sylvarant together again, you can show me then."</p><p>"Yeah!" Suddenly all that awkwardness felt like it had drained away. "It's a promise."</p><p>"A promise, huh..." Mithos stared out again at the landscape, looking oddly melancholy. "Say, Genis. You haven't told me about where you grew up yet. What's it like there?"</p><p>Memories of Iselia, good and bad, ran through Genis's mind, and he wondered which ones he should talk about. "Iselia was pretty good. Raine and I spent a lot of time traveling around when I was really young and we didn't end up settling down til a few years ago. She got an offer to be Iselia's new schoolteacher since the last one passed away, so we ended up going there and...staying there. We...told people we were elves, and everyone believed us, and that was that."</p><p>"Does Sylvarant hate half-elves too?"</p><p>"Not as much as here, but I still remember Raine telling me it was a necessary precaution, and the rest of Iselia was just humans. But there's actually a lot of towns in Sylvarant that have half-elves living in them happily, like Asgard and Palmacosta." Genis sat back, looking up at the night sky. "Of course, the other kids still thought I was weird 'cause I was smarter than all of them, except for Lloyd who thought I was cool for it. And Colette, who was the other weird kid since she was the Chosen and everyone said she was part angel."</p><p>"...Humans just despise everything not like them." Something about the tone in Mithos's voice brought Genis back down to earth, and when he looked at his friend again he was staring somewhere off into the distance. He'd heard it a few times before, but that bitterness in Mithos's voice was always a little jarring.</p><p>Genis could've agreed, and he kind of wanted to, but he also really, really didn't. "I...don't know about that. Lloyd and Colette don't. Presea and the others don't either."</p><p>Silence stretched for a long moment, and then Mithos looked at Genis and smiled softly. "I guess that's true. My mentor was a human, too."</p><p>"...What about you? What were your sister and mentor like?" That smile wasn't as comforting as it normally was, for some reason.</p><p>"My sister was the kindest and gentlest person in the whole entire world." Mithos said it like it was a plain and simple fact. "She was a healer, just like Raine, but she had the gentle personality to match it." He hesitated. "...No offense."</p><p>Genis snickered, thinking about all the times Lloyd had commented that Raine should've been the one that lit things on fire instead of him. "None taken."</p><p>"We...had to travel a lot too when I was younger, but we never really found a place to settle down." He hesitated again. "Until Ozette, I mean. Tethe'alla...really wasn't a good place for two traveling half-elf siblings. But along the way we met a human who decided to come along with us, and then another half-elf who also didn't have anywhere to go."</p><p>Genis just sat there, listening to him talk. As he'd thought, Mithos didn't really want to try opening up around the others--maybe because they were humans. But as long as they got to be alone, it was fine. As long as he wanted to talk, Genis would listen.</p><p>"The human decided to teach me how to use a sword, and he coached me on how to use my magic better, too. And the half-elf..." Mithos frowned. "<em> He </em> fell in love with my sister. Not that I can blame him for that, since she really was the best person in the world, but he <em> really </em>--"</p><p>"...He really?"</p><p>Mithos sighed, and rested his chin on top of his knees. "...He really wasn't as bad as I always made him out to be. I just wanted to be sure my sister wouldn't go marrying someone who didn't treat her like she deserved to be. But he really loved her as much as I did. ...He probably still does, too."</p><p>Mithos fell silent again, and Genis stayed quiet too for a few long, long moments. He wasn't very good at being comforting or sincere or anything when his friendship with Lloyd was mostly them sniping at each other, but he wanted to try anyways. For Mithos's sake. "It sounds like your sister was really important to all of you."</p><p>"She was. She still is."</p><p>Whenever Mithos talked about his sister, it always felt like he went somewhere far away. He was sitting right next to Genis, close enough that he could move his hand over just a little bit and it'd brush against him, but Mithos still seemed so far, far away. It always felt a little lonely.</p><p>They'd had a conversation before--or rather, Genis had interrupted a conversation between Mithos and Presea about how the two of them felt like they were all alone in the world, and he'd told both of them that no matter what they'd never be alone because he was here with them. But he didn't want to be left alone by either of them, either. When they were lonely, he wanted to be with them, and when he was lonely, he wanted them to be with him. And right now, he wanted Mithos to really be here next to him, not wherever that far-off place was. "You're really important to me too, Mithos."</p><p>That seemed to pull him back, to here next to the house in the cliff, next to Genis. This time, when he smiled, it was as comforting as it always was. "I'm glad. I wish that...I wish we had gotten to meet sooner."</p><p>"Me too." Life in Iselia would've been a lot different if he'd actually had another half-elf friend; someone he didn't need to keep secrets from for his own safety, someone who was similar to him in ways Lloyd and Colette weren't, and could never be. "I wonder if our sisters would've gotten along. Raine's nice enough most of the time, but when she really gets into something..."</p><p>"Mar--My sister could get pretty worked up too, when she wanted to. I bet they'd have some interesting conversations." Mithos's smile seemed more cheerful than ever. "And then instead of them looking after us, we would have to look after them."</p><p>"Jeez, and here I already do all the cooking and washing for Raine." Genis laughed, and Mithos laughed too. It was a nice laugh, gentle and soft, and it made Genis even happier to hear it. "...I'm glad to see you cheered up a little. I was a little worried watching you come out here all alone."</p><p>"You...were worried about me?"</p><p>Normally when Lloyd or Colette or even Raine asked that, Genis would just deny it and snark at them about it, but there was something in Mithos's tone that just wouldn't let him do that this time. He never minded making fun of everyone else from Iselia or getting made fun of in return, that was just how his friendships with them always were, but with Mithos... Things were just...different. It was more like how he felt about Presea instead of how he felt about Lloyd.</p><p>Being sincere was embarrassing, but he wanted to see Mithos smile again. "Yeah."</p><p>And he did smile a bit wider. "Well... I guess I was a little sad. You're going to be leaving again tomorrow. I wish you could stay longer...or that I could go with you."</p><p>"I wish you could come, too! Hey, if you've got magic and know how to use a sword, maybe you can take Zelos's place." Genis put his hand on Mithos's shoulder and he startled a bit, but didn't try to pull away or shake him off or anything. It was a warm bit of contact in the cool Tethe'allan night. "He's just a jerk who tries to pick fights all the time and hit on girls. You'd be <em> way </em> better."</p><p>"Do you really think so?" There was a hopeful note in Mithos's voice. "I'm better with magic, and I'm best at light magic! Watch this..."</p><p>And he held out a hand into the night air--and without so much as a focus or incantation, a softly glowing orb appeared in his palm. Genis could feel how tightly and carefully woven the mana was from here--when Mithos said he was best at light magic, he clearly meant best in the <em> world </em> at it. The light drifted out of his hand like a dandelion puff in the breeze, and slowly spread out over the field before them the same way--a hundred glittering pinpricks of light, like stars that Genis could've reached out and touched. Like fireflies on a summer riverbank, but brighter, and without fading away.</p><p>Genis was starstruck, to say the least. "It's...beautiful."</p><p>"This was a trick I first learned to show my sister, but I've practiced it enough over the years that I can do this now." Mithos gestured with his fingers, and again, Genis could feel the mana moving and shifting through the air, like a set of puppet strings moving the lights around. This wasn't the kind of control someone his age should've had, unless they were even more of a natural genius than he was. "Here, look."</p><p>The lights moved around until they started forming shapes--constellations in the air. And the very first constellation Mithos decided to draw was himself and Genis, side by side.</p><p>It was just vague shapes, as constellations tended to be, but it was still clearly them--the distinctive shape of Mithos's top, the extra-long sections of Genis's hair. It couldn't have been anyone <em> but </em> them, and Genis could feel his cheeks heating up.</p><p>"Is that...that's us, right?"</p><p>"Together forever. Just like we promised each other." Mithos said that, too, like it was just a plain and simple fact, and that was somehow more embarrassing than it would've been otherwise. "...You were being serious about it, weren't you?"</p><p>"O-Of course I was!" How could Mithos stay so calm even when asking things like that? When they'd first promised each other, Mithos had asked the same thing, if Genis was serious. The fact that he kept making sure meant...something, he was sure of it. "I meant it when I told you I don't want you to ever be alone. Maybe with magic like that, everyone <em> will </em> let you come with us. You've got so much more control than me."</p><p>Mithos moved his hand again, and the points of light moved with his long, delicate fingers. "I'd like to come, but...it's dangerous, right? I've never been in a real fight before…"</p><p>"Don't worry! I'll protect you." Genis grinned, and with the stillness of the night and the gentle illumination of Mithos's magic, it was like they were the only people in the world. In both worlds. Mithos smiled back, and Genis promised himself that no matter what happened, he <em> would </em> protect him. "Well, you're the one that knows how to use a sword, but…"</p><p>"I'll protect you too, then. If you're ever in trouble, I'll be right there to save you."</p><p>Just like he had before, at the Remote Island Ranch. When he'd appeared to save them alongside Aska, the Spirit of Light, the sight of his kind face and his hair shining in the sun like so much spun-gold thread had reminded Genis so much of Mithos the Hero that now when he thought of the old legends, he saw his dear friend's face. It was a bit embarrassing to think of this Mithos as his <em> hero</em>, but not exactly in a bad way. "W-well, normally I'd object to being the one being protected, but I guess if it goes both ways, it's fine. You're a lot stronger than I am, anyways."</p><p><em> Since you can actually pick up and use a sword and I can't, </em> he was going to continue, but Mithos spoke up first, shaking his head. "No, I think you're stronger than I've ever been. You're traveling around like this because you want to save the world, but you don't even know for sure how you're going to do it. I don't think I'd be able to do that."</p><p>Genis was at a loss for words. He wasn't used to being called <em> strong </em> in any capacity--smart, sure, but he didn't have much in the way of physical strength, and tended towards cynicism so much that he sometimes envied how hopeful Lloyd could be. He was good with memorizing facts and applying theory, but he'd never felt there was much more to him beyond that; he was just on this journey with Lloyd because there wasn't anywhere else for him to go. He wouldn't have stopped journeying even if there was, but this whole time he'd just been following Lloyd's lead, and he knew it. Things just felt so <em> pointless</em>, sometimes.</p><p>He wanted to deny it, but Mithos had that far-off, melancholy look on his face again, and Genis wondered what he was thinking about. Did he feel about Genis the same way Genis felt about Lloyd? "I--I think you're really strong! I mean, you did come save us, and you want to fight with us, too. You're just like the hero you're named after. I mean it."</p><p>Mithos laughed, but it was a harsh and unhappy sound. That had clearly been the wrong thing to say. "You're braver than Mithos the Hero ever was. You've got a goal you <em> want </em> to succeed in, but he never had a choice. Someone <em> had </em> to stop the war, and no one else would do it. It doesn't count as heroism if you're forced into it."</p><p>Genis knew the legend of Mithos the Hero front and back--how he'd stopped the Kharlan War by making the two warring countries form a treaty for peace, and how he'd given up his life to preserve the mana of the Goddess Martel. He'd been a summoner, and all the spirits they'd come across had been pactbound with him, but even though he'd had companions Gnome said he'd fought and proved his worth against them all on his own. Maybe the real details of his journey and his heroism had gotten lost over the course of the years. These were all possibilities he'd never considered before; much like how before this journey he'd never considered what it meant for a Chosen to try and awaken Martel, or what it would mean if Martel was a real person and more than just a legend, if he thought about the stories of the hero as if Mithos were a real person and not a <em> hero</em>, would they still be stories he could find comfort in? </p><p>Sometimes, the way Mithos could say everything like he knew it was true wasn't always a good thing.</p><p>Silence stretched in the night, both of them deep in their thoughts while the light of Mithos's magic faded away. And then it was like Mithos's focus suddenly snapped, and he bounced up onto his feet. "I--I'm sorry, that wasn't what I meant to say. I just wanted to say I really do think you're an amazing person, Genis. I mean it." He turned away, facing the darkness of the field in front of Altessa's house. "I should go for a while."</p><p>"Ah, wait!" Genis scrambled up as fast as he could and caught Mithos's hand before he could actually start moving away. "Um, uh, I'm sorry too. I really do think you're incredible, but just because you're you. Not because you're like the legendary hero. <em> You're </em> the one I like."</p><p>It had happened enough times now that Genis had mostly figured it out. Or rather, he was disappointed in himself for not figuring it out faster--what was the point of scoring a perfect 400 out of 400 points on that exam at the Palmacosta Academy if he couldn't even figure out what his dear friend was thinking? His uncertainty about their bond, his insecurity in whether or not Genis would <em> actually </em> stay with him if things got bad--asking who he liked most, who he'd side with, acting as if the idea of them being able to stay together was some far-distant fantasy. Mithos was someone who had lived through his parents dying followed by the death of the sister who had raised him, all while having to weather the persecution half-elves faced just for existing. His mentor and his sister's fiancé both seemed to have left him behind, too; Genis could understand why he thought he was so alone, and why he was clinging so desperately to someone who had--hopefully--made him feel a little less alone.</p><p>And, in turn, Mithos had made Genis feel less alone, too. He hadn't even realized he'd <em> felt </em> alone, but he was learning lots of new things just from Mithos being with him. Smart as he was, there was still a lot he just didn't know about other people, and one day--maybe just not today--he'd be able to tell Mithos just how important he was to him. </p><p>He had time, after all. They'd promised to stay together forever, and Genis had no intention of betraying that promise.</p><p>"Mithos…" Genis didn't think he was very good at turning his thoughts into words, but he would do his best. "Please, stay here."</p><p>"Is it...really okay if I stay here, I wonder." It wasn't quite a question and it wasn't really posed to Genis either--but Mithos wasn't pulling away from his hand, even if he was still facing out towards the darkness of the night. "I want to, but…"</p><p>"If you want to, isn't that good enough?" Mithos turned to look back at him, and Genis wasn't quite sure what the expression on his face was supposed to mean. "I mean, if you don't like Mithos the Hero because he didn't have a choice, then isn't it okay to do something you want to?"</p><p>Mithos still didn't turn around, as if he were pondering Genis's words, and Genis felt himself squeezing Mithos's hand a little tighter. Even just wandering around at night with monsters about was dangerous, even if Mithos did intend on coming back later, but more to the point Genis just didn't want him to go because of a little disagreement. He wanted them to be sitting together again chatting about this and that, watching the light of Mithos's magic as it floated around them.</p><p>"...You're right," Mithos said finally, turning back to Genis. "I'm...sorry about all that. I guess I overreacted a little."</p><p>"No, you don't need to apologize for that. If anything, it's my fault for bringing it up, okay?" Mithos smiled gratefully, and for once, Genis felt like he'd successfully conveyed his feelings to someone. "Let's sit back down. It's already dangerous enough outside with all the monsters in the area, and it'd be bad if you got lost out there at night."</p><p>"Alright." They sat down again, and Genis couldn't help but noticing that Mithos made no move to pull his hand away from Genis's grip. "But even if I did get in trouble, I could just play this and you'd come to save me right away, wouldn't you?"</p><p>With his free hand, Mithos pulled out the ocarina Genis had given him from his pocket. It had felt a fair-ish trade on the surface, since Genis had accidentally broken the flute that Mithos had given him, but it also hadn't been a fair trade at all; Mithos's sister had been the one who had carved that flute, and it had been a precious memento to him after her passing. Mithos had given it to Genis as a protective charm, and while it had indeed protected him and everyone else, it had also broken right after. They'd needed to make the ocarina for a different reason, but giving it to Mithos when they were done with it had just sounded like the right thing to do.</p><p>It wasn't exactly meant to be a protective charm in return, more like an apology for breaking the flute, but if that was how Mithos had decided to see it, Genis wasn't going to complain. It made his heart feel a bit fluttery, actually. "Of course! But to tell the truth, you don't even need that if you just want to see me. Lloyd keeps making fun of me for how I always want to come back and see you whenever we get the chance...not that anyone ever listens to me."</p><p>Mithos just laughed a bit, and it was a relieving sound after what had happened earlier. "It'd normally be a bit hard to believe someone would really want to see me that much, but… I trust you, Genis."</p><p>"It's pretty weird for me to have someone who wants to see me as much as you do, too. Not in a bad way, though!" Mithos's hand felt so warm in his. It would've been embarrassing if anyone else was awake and walked out to see them like this, but even if they had, Genis probably wouldn't have let go anyways. There was just something <em> special </em> about Mithos--he didn't have that frenetic energy Lloyd did, but Genis still found himself getting caught up in his pace despite that, and while he had the same cool and placid nature Presea had, Mithos also had this burning intensity just under the surface that Genis wanted to understand more of.</p><p>And then Genis yawned. It really <em> was </em> late, and it was probably sometime after midnight by now. Mithos squeezed his hand a bit and asked, "...Are you getting tired?"</p><p>Genis rubbed one of his eyes and shook his head. "Technically I was already tired when I came out here. But I saw you come out here alone, and…"</p><p>"...And you were worried. I'm feeling better now, so you can go back in, if you want."</p><p>Staying out here with Mithos sounded much more appealing than going back to those hard-as-rock beds. And… "...Remember how you said you were sad we have to leave again tomorrow? I want to stay with you as long as I can until then."</p><p>"But you still need to rest up for tomorrow… Hmm." Mithos hummed as he thought, and gently set the ocarina next to him in the grass. "You can just lay down here."</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>Mithos stretched his legs out and then patted his lap. Genis stared at him incredulously, but his friend just calmly met his gaze as if it were no big deal at all. "It'll be more comfortable than just laying on the ground."</p><p>"I--I guess, but--"</p><p>"I don't think any monsters will come this close, but don't worry. Even if they do, I'll protect you." It was like Mithos had a switch inside him that only ever went between insecure and confident, and right now he was so perfectly, utterly sure in his ability to defend Genis from the monsters that stalked the night that Genis almost forgot that that wasn't what he'd been worried about--it was his sister finding out he'd been outside all night. "We promised, remember?"</p><p>"We did, but--" It was that confidence Mithos had that was going to get Genis in trouble someday, the same way Lloyd's did. "Oh, fine. But if Zelos finds out and starts teasing me…"</p><p>"He'd just be jealous no one likes him enough to do this for him." Well, that settled that, going off the tone of Mithos's voice.</p><p>Genis sighed, giving in, and scooted himself over so he could lay his head on Mithos's lap. He had to let go of his friend's hand, but in exchange, Mithos's lap was just as warm. It wasn't really any more comfortable than the beds inside, since Mithos was thin and kind of bony, but Genis still had a feeling that it'd be easier to fall asleep here than it had ever been inside. "...What about when you need to sleep?"</p><p>"I'll worry about that when the time comes." Now that Genis thought about it, Mithos didn't seem tired at all. His blue eyes were still bright. "...Can I sing to you? My sister used to sing for me when I had trouble sleeping."</p><p>"Um, sure." Mithos was leaned forward a bit, their eyes watching each other's, his blond hair almost long enough to brush against Genis's face. Suddenly, he felt like there was no way he could get to sleep like this.</p><p>But then Mithos began to sing--he definitely didn't have any formal training, not like the singers he'd heard in the towns he and Raine had traveled through, but his voice was low and gentle and comforting. Genis couldn't recognize the language, but he was still sure its lyrics were as kind as the person singing them, and he could feel himself starting to fall asleep.</p><p>No, it was more than just a calming melody--the mana in his body was being calmed. There was magic in Mithos's voice, and it felt sort of like Raine's healing magic; that same warm, gentle feeling was radiating out from the center of his body. He'd never even <em> heard </em> of magic being woven into song before.</p><p>"Mithos…" Genis's voice was weak. He could feel himself on the verge of drifting off. "How are you so good at magic…?"</p><p>Mithos's song paused, as if he were considering his answer. "A lot of practice," he ended up saying, even though that didn't really answer anything at all.</p><p>He started to sing again, a quiet lullaby for just the two of them, and Genis fell asleep to Mithos's angelic voice.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Genis was fast asleep--Mithos had heard his breathing change. He hadn't expected song-based magic to be so effective, and that was definitely something he'd need to research more later, when he had the time.</p><p>The song was, just like he'd said, a lullaby that Martel had used to sing for him. The language it was in wasn't even used anymore, but instead of asking about that, Genis had asked how Mithos was so good at magic. He really was a genius, way more in tune with mana than Mithos had been when he was twelve.</p><p>But that had been more than four thousand years ago. More than enough time to get better at a lot of things.</p><p>Mithos looked down at Genis's peaceful sleeping face. He didn't know why he was still here. The plan had been to wipe Ozette off the face of the planet, then let the heroes act heroic when they found a poor half-elven orphan, and then perform a few days of covert reconaissance before slipping away without a word. Pronyma, at least, knew he was here, but at least she was obedient enough to not bother him and risk blowing his cover. Or risk...having her see this scene.</p><p>It wasn't that he particularly cared about her opinion, or the opinion of any of his generals. If they lost faith in him, they could be replaced--that wasn't the problem. But if she happened upon this scene and took it as an excuse to <em> attack </em> Genis, Mithos couldn't very well let that slide. They'd promised to protect each other, after all.</p><p>In the haze of battle when they'd first met, Mithos hadn't noticed that Genis and Raine were half-elves; he was so used to being around Kratos and his aionis-induced magic that he'd just assumed they, like the rest of the party, were human. It hadn't been until they met in Ozette that he'd realized they weren't, and he had marveled for just a moment at the fact that this party of humans and half-elves working together was exactly what Martel had wanted to see all along. So he'd gotten a bit too curious and stayed with them a bit longer than he meant to, and now…</p><p>Genis rolled over and curled up, just a little bit, still fast asleep. Now, here he was, with someone he didn't want to leave behind.</p><p>Four thousand years...was a long time. It had been four thousand years since Martel died, and four thousand years since Kratos and Yuan had ceded all responsibility to him. They were pathetic cowards who had run away from what they should've been doing as adults, instead choosing to put all the burden on their "hero's" shoulders. Mithos hadn't been very surprised when Kratos had run away from him, and even though he'd returned to Cruxis, Mithos had made sure to keep a close eye on him. Yuan was also fairly likely to betray him at this point, although he wasn't quite sure how. It was just a matter of time.</p><p>That was what made them cowards. Instead of bearing responsibility for what they did, they wanted to drop it all on Mithos's shoulders again. If it hadn't been for Martel's fondness for them, he would've killed them a long time ago.</p><p><em> Well, </em> he thought to himself as he looked down at Genis's off-white hair, <em> it's not like I'm any better than them right now. </em></p><p>It had been four thousand years since Mithos had faced down all the summon spirits and fought them on his own--and <em> beat </em> them on his own. And it was four thousand years since the last time he'd felt like he really belonged anywhere. And yet, here he was, not wanting to be anywhere else.</p><p>Mithos looked out into the night, at all the many things he could see that anyone without angelic senses couldn't, and absentmindedly stroked Genis's hair. Because he was an angel, he could see the monsters that traveled by night as they stalked their prey, but he couldn't even tell what Genis's hair felt like under his hand. There was pressure there, but if it was soft or spiky or whatever else, he couldn't tell. When Genis cheerfully made dinner for everyone and asked Mithos how it tasted, he'd had to lie and say it was good--it had been four thousand years since he last wanted to eat something just for the flavor, but he always found himself wishing he could tell him how good it was sincerely. He couldn't even say goodnight and mean it--he couldn't sleep anymore, after all.</p><p>Mithos had never...felt like this before. All these changes that had come from being an angel and the benefits that came from them--never needing to interrupt his research just to eat or sleep, not needing to notice pathetic things like heat or cold--just felt like they were getting in the way now. He'd wandered the two planets before, just to see what had and hadn't changed over the long years, and always found himself disappointed. Cities rose and fell, languages changed and adapted, and the ripples of his plan to revive Martel grew more and more visible, and each society's perception of half-elves had changed because of it. He had talked anonymously to other half-elves he'd met across the years, but he'd just carefully absorbed them into Cruxis. Certainly, they'd all lacked whatever quality it was that made Genis stand out so much from them. He'd seen <em> so </em> many people, half-elves and humans alike, live and die and give up their souls to become angels for the power and immortality and then die anyways that it had been impossible to find it in himself to care about any of them. But...here he was.</p><p>It would have been easy enough to get Genis to join Cruxis, he supposed. He was fairly certain that if he offered a Cruxis Crystal, Genis would take it, and it would replace that Exsphere on his hand. Not just any Crystal, but one with the same strength as those given to Chosens, or even his Seraphim--one to mark Genis as special in the hierarchy of angels.</p><p>But the more he thought about it, the more Mithos realized he didn't actually want Genis to be an angel. He didn't want Genis to stop cooking for him, and he didn't want Genis to stop smiling at him and wishing him goodnight when it got dark. He wanted to feel how warm Genis's hand was when he held it. What if, instead of sitting like this as Mithos the angel and Genis the half-elf, what if it was just two half-elves?</p><p>He didn't want to give up on Martel, but he'd already so easily given up one of her precious mementos. When it had broken, he hadn't been as upset as he knew he should've been, and when he said he would always have his memories of her, he'd meant it. Having seen for himself how Genis saw the world, even if just a little bit--having watched Genis and Raine and Lloyd, he'd started to think maybe he <em> was </em> doing the wrong thing.</p><p>It was a terrible thought, that he was doing the wrong thing. After all, Mithos had already dedicated four thousand years of his life to this one, singular goal. Even now, just inside that house, slept three vessels he'd cultivated just for Martel. Tabatha had been a failure from back before he'd been desperate enough to try cultivating people, and Zelos had more value as a spy than as a vessel with that mana signature of his, but Colette was such a perfect match he couldn't help but bristle when she came too close.</p><p>If he was really doing the wrong thing, if he was really doing something his sister wouldn't approve of, then there was no point to living anymore. Giving up a vessel as ideal as Colette would be betraying <em> himself</em>. But these idle thoughts still flitted in and out of Mithos's head: what if…</p><p>...What if he just never went back to Cruxis. What if he just stayed here with Genis forever, the way they'd promised? If their enemy Lord Yggdrasill suddenly disappeared, they would succeed so easily and Genis would come back to him. They'd promised each other twice now.</p><p>Without Martel, Yggdrasill, the millennias-old angel, had no reason to live. But maybe Mithos, the lone survivor of Ozette, <em> Genis's friend, </em> did.</p><p>Did someone like that deserve to live? He hoped--no, he was sure Genis would think they would.</p><p>The night wore on as Mithos sat with his thoughts, letting them chase each other back and forth without making a decision. The nighttime hours until Genis awoke felt like nothing after thousands of years of solitude, so he just sat there with him--with Genis, the person who was making his life more complicated than it had ever been before, wondering if the right answer was to take him or stay with him...or leave him and all these thoughts behind.</p><p>The night passed the way it presumably always did--there was no real day or night on Derris-Kharlan--and soon enough, the sun began to rise and birds began to sing. It had been...four thousand years since the last time Mithos had watched the sun rise.</p><p>He heard Altessa's front door open and close, and he turned his head to see none other than Lloyd himself, in that bright red outfit that had made it so easy for his Desians to track him. He noticed Mithos almost immediately and waved. "Hey! What are you doing up so early?"</p><p>Lloyd started jogging over, and Mithos put a finger to his lips and pointed at Genis, who was still curled up asleep with his head on Mithos's lap. "Don't be too loud, or he'll wake up."</p><p>"...Did you guys spend the night out here or something?"</p><p>"We were talking and it got late, and then Genis got tired and fell asleep here." Lloyd plopped down next to them. "Ah, but don't tell Zelos or his sister. He was worried about that."</p><p>"Yeah, Zelos would be crazy jealous, and the Professor...would not be happy. He didn't need to worry about Zelos since that idiot would sleep in til noon if we let him, but if he doesn't wake up soon, the Professor's definitely gonna find out."</p><p>"Hmm… Do you think she'd be less angry if I told her it was because he was worried about me? He saw me come out here, and, well…"</p><p>"Yeah, that sure sounds like him." Lloyd grinned. "He can be an incredible sap sometimes. What were you doing out here, though?"</p><p>"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come out here to count the stars." No mention needed to be made of the rest of their conversation. "That's what my mentor used to tell me to do."</p><p>"Huh. That sounds like some advice Kratos gave to Colette once." Mithos felt himself twitch at the sound of Kratos's name out of Lloyd's mouth. "Guy's a jerk, but at least his advice can usually be trusted. He's actually why I'm out this early. He taught me all about the virtues of early morning practice."</p><p>"Are you sure he wasn't just saying that to keep you out of the way?" The bitterness had seeped into Mithos's voice before he realized it. Why did someone like Lloyd get to be Genis's best friend <em> and </em> Kratos's new pupil? But, no, he realized it wasn't even that he hated Lloyd--he was jealous of him. "...Sorry. That wasn't what I meant to say."</p><p>"I mean, you're probably not too far off! I was a real pest then." Lloyd stretched, leaning back on his hands.</p><p>Silence fell for a moment, and Mithos just stared down at Genis again. He had a question for Lloyd that only he could answer, that could only get asked here and now, with no one else awake. "...Can I ask you something?"</p><p>"Sure, go for it."</p><p>"You're...trying to save the world. You're walking the same path that Mithos the Hero did. What's it...like?"</p><p>"Well, Mithos was definitely a great person." And he was tired of hearing that. "But I'm not him, so I can't really say. I'm gonna do things my way, the way Mithos did things his own way."</p><p>Those words rolled around Mithos's head a bit, before he nodded slowly. "That's a very...Lloyd-like answer. I guess I should've expected that."</p><p>"What, am I <em> that </em> predictable now?" But Lloyd just grinned anyways. He stood up and dusted himself off, and then jerked a thumb out towards the open field. "I'll go a little farther out than usual so I don't wake Genis up. He's even more attached to you than he is to me."</p><p>Mithos felt his heart flutter just a little bit, the way his wings could. "Really?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah. He's always asking about when the next time we can come back here is." Lloyd stretched again, only to pause mid-gesture. "Hey, I know. When this is all over, why don't the two of you go on a journey of your own? It's not like any of us will be able to just go back to Iselia that easy after everything, so...there's a thought."</p><p>Another journey, huh. This one wouldn't be as long as the first one, though. "I do...want to see the world the same way Genis does. I hope we'll get to."</p><p>"Sure you will! Everything's gonna work out just fine." And that was the last thing Lloyd had to say before running off into the field.</p><p>Well, this whole time, Mithos <em> had </em> been trying to get permission to travel together with the whole team. It was definitely a nice idea, at least. But would it get to come true?</p><p>Right now, their team was assembling materials to make a Rune Crest, a special kind of crest that could block almost all effects of the angelification process. It wouldn't be that difficult for Lord Yggdrasill to collect all the pieces, and there was even a dwarf right here who had the necessary skills to craft it. If Lord Yggdrasill himself came to Altessa and ordered him to make a Rune Crest, would he? Would the dwarf that had abandoned Cruxis help its leader do the same?</p><p>Idle thoughts, actions that might not get taken. Mithos looked down at Genis, and hoped this wouldn't be the last time they got to be together like this.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so uh, turns out i injured myself writing this (18 handwritten pages in like 12 hours. bad idea) so my third and fourth planned mithos fics might be a bit...delayed.</p><p>anyways, hope you enjoyed it!</p>
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